Sewage control apparatus



July 21, 1942. J. F. MURPHY 2,290,246

SEWA GE CONTROL APPARATUS Fild June 19, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 STORM WATEI; 16 14 SEWAGE &- Fl-OW I 2 &

T0 DISPOSAL PLANT Z6 y 1942. J. F. MURPHY 2,290,246

' SEWAGE CONTROL APPARATUS Filed June 19, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented July 21, 1942 UHTED SEWAGE CONTROL APPARATUS John Francis Murphy, Beverly, Mass., assignor to Albert P. McC'ulloch, Boston, Mass.

2 Claims.

The present invention relates to apparatus for controlling the flow of sewage, and is more particularly concerned with improvements in this general type of apparatus by virtue of which the quantity of sewage flowing through a disposal plant is maintained at substantially constant volume independently of excessive quantitles of surface drainage or the like flowing through the usual trunk sewer.

In the attainment of this and other objects, the various features of the invention consist in certain novel features of construction, combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described and claimed, the advantages of which wi11 be obvious to those skilled in the art from the following description.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating the preferred form of the invention, Figs. 1 and 2 represent plan and elevational views partly in section of the usual sewer discharge with the regulating apparatus properly attached thereto and used in conjunction therewith; Fig. 3 is a side elevation in section of the unitary regulating apparatus with the control valve in inoperative position; Fig. 4 is a similar view illustrating the control valve in partially closed position; and Fig. 5 is a plan view of the unitary regulator illustrating the control valve and operating floats therefor.

In the apparatus shown in the illustrated embodiment of the invention, as indicated more particularly in Figs. 1 and 2, sewage is normally discharged through a pipe ill of appropriate diameter, which may pass through a basin or opening l2, as indicated. Mounted in this basin is the unitary control l4, positioned generally below and at one side of the pipe I!) and. connected to the bottom thereof by a side outlet I5. The discharge from the control passes through a pipe It to the usual disposal plant. A lower vane 18 in the general nature of a weir is located in the pipe I0 beyond the control outlet [9, and serves normally to permit excessive storm water, surface drainage and the like to pass freely through the main pipe [0 without diversion into the side outlet l9. Heavier matter such as sewage, however, encounters the diverting vane l8 and is thence discharged through the control or regulator to the sewage disposal plant.

When the volume of sewage discharge passing 50 through the opening I9 becomes excessive and beyond the quantity which the disposal plant can eifectively handle as may be in the event of a storm or the like, then an automatically opertail the flow therethrough and into the disposal plant. This structure and its method of operation is shown more particularly in Figs. 3 to 5, which illustrate the structural details of the unitary control I l. With reference particularly to these figures, it will be observed that the control is housed in a sheet metal casing it or the like, provided with a removable cover 22 detachably secured to the flanged portion-of the housing by threaded bolts 2 This housing is provided with a flanged inlet 26 designed for attachrnent to the pipe l5, and with an outlet flange 23 designed for connection with the outlet pipe 15 which connects with the sewage treatment plant.

The regulator, as indicated in the drawings, may be provided with a receiving chamber or compartment 38 which is centrally disposed with respect to the inlet 28, and is bounded by partitions 32 forming a part of the housing 2i! and providing therebeyond for chambers 35 at each side of the receiving chamber. The float chambers are in free communication with the receivin chamber by openings 36 which are screened at 38, as indicated. The provision of these open" 25 in the lowermost part of the receiving chamber and at opposite sides insures that the level within the float chamber is maintained approximately at the level within the receiving chamber.

The flow, as indicated in dot and dash lines in Fig. 3, normally is from the inlet 26 through the receiving chamber and thence through the outlet 23, the level in the chamber being governed under conditions of normal flow by a sliding gate 49 mounted for adjustment within a guide partition 42 and normally held in adjusted position by set screws M, as indicated in Fig. 5. The lower edge of the gate is normally positioned at a level which encounters and controls the upper boundary of the free stream and in consequence the level of this stream within the float chamber.

Under certain conditions it is desirable to control the flow therethrough automatically and to prevent excessive volumes of liquid passing through the control and thus into the disposal plant. To this end a control valve 50 is mounted upon a rock shaft 52 through a supporting arm 56 keyed to the shaft and connected to the valve through bolt and slot connections 56 and. capable of adjustment thereon through stems 58 welded to the valve and adjustably connected with lugs 60 through the nut 52. This valve having a curved face B l cooperates with a correspondingly curved seating face 66 formed upon the inlet connection,

ating valve within the regulator serves to curadjustment permitting movement to and from the face, and the valve swinging through the rock shaft to partially or Wholly close the opening in the inlet pipe, as indicated.

The various positions of the valve are controlled from the float chambers at opposite sides of the receiving chamber in which are respectively mounted floats 10. Each of these floats is pivoted to the wall of the chamber at 12 through a pivot connection, as indicated, and each float is connected to the rock shaft 52 through operating arms M which cause the rock shaft to be oscillated and the valve mounted thereon to be correspondingly moved through the rising and falling movements of the free ends of the floats, as shown more particularly in Fig. 5. As indicated also in this figure and in Figs. 3 and 4, the valve may be counter-weighted in each case by a series of weights 16 which are mounted upon a stem l8 connected to the free end of the float and the arms 'M, the arms in each case being connected to the free ends of the floats through pivots 85 and 82, respectively,

With this construction, by proper adjustment of the stems and also coimter-weighting of the floats, a rise of the latter within the float chamber will cause the control valve to be depressed in somewhat the manner shown in Fig. 4, and partially close the inlet to the receiving chamber, In a like manner, recession or dropping of the floats causes a lifting of the valve, as the case may be.

With this construction, which is simple and rugged, preferably made of material which will not be unduly affected by the action of the sewage, a regulator is provided which will operate for long continued periods of time without attention and without requiring other than the initial adjustment which is required upon setting p.

It will be evident from an inspection of Figs. 1 and 2 that the assembly of the regulator as a unit within the catch basin or the like may be conveniently accomplished, and that once properly installed and with the operating linkage adjusted to maintain the proper height for the control valve, the regulator as a unit may be relied upon to control excessive flow for long continued periods of time without further attention.

What is claimed is:

1. Sewage control apparatus, comprising a metal boxlike casing, two uniformly spaced partitions within the casing to divide the interior thereof into a centrally disposed receiving chamber and oppositely disposed float chambers, inlet and outlet connections communicating with the receiving chamber, a rock shaft extending across the receiving chamber and pivoted at its ends in the partitions, a pivoted float in each float chamber, operating arms connecting the opposite ends of the rock shaft with the free ends of the floats, an oscillatable valve, arms connecting the oscillatable valve with the rock shaft to control the intake through the inlet, a transverse partition at the rear end of the receiving chamber and having an opening in its lower portion, an adjustable gate member mounted upon said transverse partition and controlling the flow of the liquid therethrough, and openings in the lowermost portion of each of the two uniformly spaced partitions affording communication between the receiving chamber and float chamber.

2. Sewage control apparatus, comprising a casing, a longitudinal partition within the casing to divide the interior thereof into a receiving chamber and a float chamber, inlet and outlet connections communicating with the receiving chamber, a rock shaft extending across the receiving chamber, a pivoted float in the float chamber, an operating arm connecting the end of the rock shaft with the free end of the float, an oscillatable valve, arms connecting the oscillatable valve with the rock shaft to control the intake through the inlet, a transverse partition at the rear end of the receiving chamber and having an opening in its lower portion, an adjustable gate member mounted upon said transverse partition and controlling the flow of the liquid therethrough, and an opening in the lowermost portion of the longitudinal partition afiording communication between the receiving chamber and float chamber.

JOHN FRANCIS MURPHY. 

